Breeding birds in captivity may alter their wing shapes and reduce post-release survival chances

Research into critically endangered orange-bellied parrot finds 1mm difference in length of one feather is enough to reduce survival rate by 2.7 timesFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastBreeding in captivity can alter birds' wing shapes, reducing their chances of surviving migratory flights when they are released to the wild, new research suggests.A study of the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot has found that in captive-bred birds, those with altered wing shapes had a survival rate 2.7 times lower than those born with wings close to an ideal "wild type" wing.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...